The Night and the Moon
by ThatGreekLady
Summary: Voldemort has taken over the Ministry. Theodore Nott tries to survive his 7th year at Hogwarts under the Carrows' regime when he makes a very special friends.
1. Chapter 1

Theodore Nott had to learn a lot of life lessons early in life.

He had to learn love was meaningless and foolish when his crying mother told him to never make the mistake of falling in love.

He had to learn to always keep his feelings to himself when his father beat him up for "crying like a girl".

He had to learn to never trust everyone when his father killed his mother in front of him and then grabbed him by the collar and told him to lie to the aurors "if he knew what was good for him".

And thus, Theodore Nott always kept to himself. While he was friendly to his Slytherin dormmates, he never made real friends. He dedicated his entire life to a single ambition. 'Get as many NEWTS as possible, leave the country and start his own business as far away from his father as he could'.

However, life had different plans for Theodore. The Dark Lord was now more powerful than ever. Leaving the country under Voldemort's regime was nearly impossible, especially if you were the son of Thoros Nott the Death Eater.

"Just wait until your graduation" said his father while smirking viciously. "We'll have you stop being a useless burden".

Of course "not being a useless burden" in his father's mind meant to take the Mark and contribute to the cause. Theodore shuddered at the thought. Being a slave like his psychopath of a father was not what he planned for his life. It was not what he planned at all.

He came back to Hogwarts for his 7th year trying to find a plan to escape his miserable fate. Hogwarts was no longer what he knew. You now had Death Eaters for "teachers". You were now expected to torture little kids who "misbehaved" if you didn't want to make yourself a target.

Theodore found it impossible to gather enough hate to cast a successful cruciatus. In fact the only Slytherins who seemed to enjoy that sickening situation were Crabbe and Goyle (!)

Fortunately the students understood that they had to pretend if they wanted to get away without Amycus or Alecto casting the curse themselves. As a result, whenever Theo and his classmates casted half-assed cruciatuses, they pretended to scream for whole minutes even though Theo was confident that his cruciatus was so weak it wouldn't even make someone scream for a second. He always played along. Only a monster like his father would find it in him to torture little kids and Theo had sworn that he would never be like his father.

Now they had brought in front of him a blond Ravenclaw girl one year his junior.

"Do it Theo" said Amycus smiling viciously. "Make your father proud".

Theo sighed and looked at the blond who seemed to be studying him curiously. She didn't seem frightened at all.

"Oh crap what did those little assholes do again?" said Amycus after they heard a loud noice from outside. "I'm going to check it out. I expect to hear screams" the disgusting man winked and left the room.

"You heard him" whispered Theo sitting down on a chair looking tired. "Just scream for a while so that we will get over it".

Her eyes widened. She indeed started to scream for a while pretending to be tortured. Theo wondered if that would be enough to fool Amycus. 'Quite likely, that fool is as smart as a rock' he thought. He wondered why the Dark Lord decided to entrust the wizarding education to two morons like Amycus and Alecto but then thought it was pointless to question a madman.

"You're Theodore Nott" stated the girl after finishing with the fake screams.

"You don't say!"

"I'm Luna Lovegood" her eyes were still studying him. "You're not very pleased with the current regime"

"Now who yould not be pleased, everything is wonderful!"

"I have been watching you. All of you Slytherins" she continued ignoring his sarcasm. "Despite what people say you are not pleased with how things are. So why don't you fight, why do you do what they say?"

"Listen sweetie" he said sighing again. "You should have noticed that many of us have parents and siblings and roommates who are Death Eaters. It's easier for you since you don't have to fight your own family" 'not that I would mind my father dying' he thought to himself "Besides" he continued "it's not like your side would ever trust us".

"I could vouch for you if you want" she said shrugging.

"No" he said. "What you're doing...is foolish. A bunch of school kids are not going to take down the Dark lord. You're risking your lives provoking them for no good reason".

"I think it's noble to stand up for what you believe in" she said looking skeptical and then sighed "I suppose you have a point, but my friends would never accept not standing up to them and I would always stand up for my friends" her face looked dreaming while thinking about her friends.

The door opened making the young teenagers jump. "Are we finished here?" said Amycus who looked pissed off probably because of whatever caused that noice earlier. He set his eyes on Luna and suddenly smirked viciously. "I will handle things from here" he said. "You're free to go Nott, if you write to your father , tell him I said hi"

Theo left the room trying to ignore the very real screams that were causes by the Death Eater's very real cruciatus.

He entered the Slytherin common room and grabbed the firewhiskey that Malfoy had left behind. He really needed a drink.

It was a cold Sunday morning. Theo spent most of his free time alone, outside of the castle, away from the Carrows. He was taking a walk by the lake when he suddenly saw one of those disgusting creatures that appeared to your sight only if you had seen death. Back in the first year, people had looked at him like he was mad when he insisted those creatures pulled the school carriages. After that he decided to drop it. As far as he knew he was the only Slytherin who could see them and didn't feel like lecturing his dormmates.

"They're not that bad" said a voice. Theo jumped and turned only to come face to face with.. Luna Lovegood. She was carrying a piece of raw meat wrapped in a towel and walked closer to feed the creature.

"They look disgusting and you can only see them if you've seen someone die , what's good about them?" he said and then felt surprised with himself for bothering to engage in a discussion with Luna Lovegood.

"It's not their fault for being the way they are and they're not harmful in fact they can be quite useful" she said while feeding the thestral. "Do you want to hear a story about them?"

He would normally say no, but suddenly he was curious about what this weird girl would have to say. "Ok..."

"Two years ago me, Harry and some other friends' of ours rode them all the way to London." She smiled at the memory. "The journey didn't end very well, but it still felt nice to do something with others. It felt like having friends".

"Why did you go to London?"

"Harry thought his godfather was being tortured"she said "and we had no other way, not with the ministry controlling everything"

He thought their actions sounded reckless but decided not to comment on it. Instead he suddenly felt curious about something else. "You don't have to answer but... why can you see the thestrals?"

"Oh, i saw my mother dying" she said without a sign of emotion in her voice "she was a brilliant witch but she experimented a lot. A spell she tried backfired once"

He didn't look at her. He was lost in his own thoughts for a few minutes. "My father killed my mother" he finally said. He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe it was because he was sure the witch in front of him wouldn't judge him. Maybe it was because nothing really mattered anymore.

"Oh!" she simply said her eyes widening "that's why you can see them right?"He nodded. She was about to tell him that her father had entire different theory about the mysterious Death of Lady Nott but decided against it. After all these years of finally finding real friends she was not oblivious to social cues anymore and she was pretty sure the Rotfang conspiracy was not what Theodore wanted to hear. She wasn't sure what else to say when the man saved her from the awkwardness of the situation. "I'm going to ask the house elves to pack us something to eat" he said, "do you…err… want to join me?" he didn't feel like eating inside that hell called school and he had a feeling she felt the same.

"Oh!" she said a bit surprised with his invitation "of course, I would like that. Can I…call you Theodore?"

He smiled a bit "I would like that. Stay here, I will be back soon" he turned and walked towards the school. Luna for a while fear that it was some sort of trap since she couldn't believe a boy would ask her to hang out with him, but quickly decided that whatever it might be, it would be interesting to study the young man who seemed as lonely as she was before joining Dumbledore's Army.

It was already dark. Luna and Theo had spent the last few hours staring at the late and occasionally exchanging a few words. It was clear that neither wanted to go back to the castle and face the harsh reality of the Carrows. When it got too cold, Theo simply transfigured a blanket and wrapped it around the girl. He didn't need it as the firewhiskey he had snatched from the dungeons kept him warm.

Luna was more talkative than him, which said too much because Luna was usually a very quiet person. She actually told him stories about her various adventures at Hogwarts like their DA meetings from the past or how she once fell into the lake only to be saved by the giant squid of all things which used his tentacles to gently get her out of the water. That last story earned her a chuckling from Theo.

"Luna we should get back" he said looking at his watch.

"Maybe it would be better if we slept here" she said bitterly. "Pneumonia should be more pleasant than what the Carrows will do to us if they catch us at this hour"

To her surprise he smiled. "Don't be silly. Did you think I would let them get you? Come on I have a plan"

Luna noticed that alcohol made him way more friendly and relaxed. He usually seemed so cold and distant, like he was living in his own world.

She wondered if that was how other people saw her sometimes.

Once they entered the big gate, he turned and casted a powerful disillusionment charm at her. She looked down. Her body had taken the exact same color as the wall behind her.

"Wow" she said but Theo gestured her to be quiet. "This is pretty advanced magic" she whispered.

He shrugged "come on, I always wanted to see the way to the Ravenclaw common room..if you wish to show me" he winked.

"Won't you cast the spell to your body?"

"Nah, they won't do anything to me. One of the only good things about being a Nott".

He escorted her to the fifth floor. Gladly they met no Carrows and no Snape on their way. They stood in front of a door when the eagle shaped knocker asked : "I roam the woods of Hogwarts school, my coat is lovely white, but don't you dare to drink my blood, or you'll be cursed for life. What am I?"

Theo smirked "Unicorn"

"Correct" the door opened.

"Did you know we had unicorn near school Luna?"

"Oh yes" she smiled nostalgically remembering the story Harry had told them about his detention in his first year. "Thanks for accompanying me Theo."

"Don't mention it" he said "I didn't feel like going back to the snake hole so early"

"Do you" she hesitated not wanting to offend him. "Do you ever wish you weren't in Slytherin?"

"Nah, it would be worse for me in the other Houses with a father like that. Besides, Slytherin has its pros". _Like how it was the best House if you wanted to be left alone and not have people ask you too many questions. Loners and secretive people were common in Slytherin and while there were a few nosy ones like Pansy Parkinson, most Slytherins generally minded their own business._

"I wonder how things would be if I were in Slytherin" Luna said absent-mindedly.

"People would assume your whole "odd" persona is just an act to hide your true nature and leave you alone" he said honestly, _after all pretending to be something you're not was not uncommon in Slytherin. "_ Then again, most people would distrust you immediately, they would think of you as a Death Eater sympathizer and you most likely wouldn't have been friends with Potter".

"I think it's weird how most Death Eaters are Slytherins" she said "one would expect cunning people to not be so willing to join you know…a psychopathic madman".

"It's about pureblood supremacy" he said while sitting in a chair looking at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw next to him. "Most blood purists are in Slytherin and it was also the House of the Dark Lord I think, that's why it was easier to recruit them from there".

"Are you a purist?"

"No. At least not in the way my father is. I don't consider muggleborns inferior and it would be hard to do so with someone like Granger in class. I just…"

"Just?"

"If I ever got married I would prefer it to be a pureblood witch just to honor the traditions of the House of Nott, that's all" he suddenly felt his cheeks turning red. Damn firewhiskey, look at him talking about himself so casually, something he had never done before. His thoughts were interrupted by a certain voice. "Luna?"

Lisa Turpin and Mandy Brocklehurst rushed towards the blond girl while glaring at Nott. "Luna, where were you? We were so worried."

The two 7th year girls kept eyeing Nott suspiciously.

"Well, I should be going" he said, no emotion in his voice "goodnight ladies."

He thought he should be lucky Ravenclaws were smart enough to try to be subtle. He was sure the Gryffindors would hex him on sight if they saw him in their common room.

"Luna" said Lisa Turpin. "what happened? Longbottom and Weasley were worried about you and we didn't know what to think."

Luna thought it was weird how Turpin and Brocklehurst were suddenly so worried when they were making fun of her just a day ago, but didn't comment on it.

"Oh you know. I was just hanging around with Theodore. I didn't mean to upset you"

"Theodore?" Turpin said in disbelief. "What did Nott do to you?"

"Oh, he brought food from the kitchens and we were sitting by the lake talking mostly" she said.

"Luna" said Turpin "you didn't tell him anything about DA, did you?"

"I invited him to join, but said nothing about our hideout" said Luna shrugging.

"Luna…."the two 7th years looked at each other "I don't know what he said to you, but it's obvious he wanted to use you for information. You should stay away from him, for your own good"

She looked at the girls who tormented her for years and wondered what they knew about her 'own good'. She decided it would be pointless to try to change their mind seeing how it would be impossible for them to believe anyone would want to spend time with her for a reason other than to 'use her'.

She smiled "don't worry about me, if he uses me for information then so do I, it would be useful to speak to someone who has the connections he does, goodnight girls" it was the easiest way to get rid of them, she thought, feeling a little guilty for not standing up for Theodore.


	2. Chapter 2

"Luna?"

She was sitting next to the lake reading The Quibbler and looked up when she heard the familiar voice.

"Hello Theo".

"I was looking for you" he said sitting next to her, studying her "I heard you got in trouble with Snape"

"Oh, he gave us detention" she said "Me , Neville and Ginny had to go help Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. We just had to help with him with some little friends of his, it was quite fun"

He sighed "I expected worse from Snape, so you're alright? You weren't hurt, were you?"

"Oh, no I'm quite fine" she said "we actually saw some unicorns, they're majestic creatures" she hesitated for a bit. "Did you expect Snape to.. you know.. be a Death Eater? He was Head of your House, you should have known him more than I did".

"I didn't know what his game was" he said "however, I think he doesn't approve of the Carrows. He does it in a subtle way but it seems he tries to protect the students. A few weeks ago he stopped Alecto from torturing Longbottom to madnesss and now he said you to detention with Hagrid of all people after you broke into his freaking office" he looked at her. "May I ask how you got the brilliant idea to break into his office?"

"It's pretty interesting" she said dodging his last question "Snape was always the harshest teacher and he could be cruel in some ways , yet now he seems to be protecting the students".

"Maybe there are just limits for him. Being an evil bastard doesn't mean you can't have your moral limitations".

"I suppose so" she smiled sadly. "I'm worried about you you you" she suddenly said.

"And what reason would you have to be worried?"

"Your father is a Death Eater" she said "Malfoy's father was a Death Eater and they forced him to join..."

"You should worry about yourself" he said firmly "I have my own plans and becoming a slave like Malfoy is not one of them".

She nodded. "Malfoy didn't seem very well last year..or this year"

"Observant" he said "no, I don't think Malfoy is pleased with the situation, not that he would admit it. During fifth year he was bragging about how he would take the Mark and follow his father, but obviously the whole thing wasn't what he expected... I think I get Draco, he always admired his father. In his mind, if his father was a Death Eater then it shouldn't have been so bad. Apparently he was wrong".

They stared at a thestral which approached the lake to drink some water.

"I know you find them disgusting" Luna said "but I think there's something charming about their darkness. They're symbols of death, yet they're still harmless, dependable creatures. Me and my father have a couple of them on your yard, we use them for transportation".

"Don't they remind you of... you know?"

"Of my mother? Well, maybe sometimes, but I have accepted her death and I don't think it's fair to judge those creatures because of their appearance".

They kept silent for a few minutes. Theo kept staring at the lake lost in his thoughts. When he turned he caught her watching him. She smiled.

"You have special eyes" she said "it's like they change colors depending on the light. When I first met you I was sure they were brown, now they look green". She was looking at him in the eyes and he suddenly felt uncomfortable and tried not to blush or make a fool of himself. He had no idea how to response.

He couldn't deny he found the Ravenclaw witch beautiful. Very beautiful and smart and interesting and there was something about her that made him want to open up..to get to know her better.

If he was someone else he would grab the opportunity to kiss her, but Theo was not an ordinary person. Theo believed relationships were pointless, his parents' marriage had taught him that. When his Slytherin roommates spent their time talking about girls, Theo was plotting how to escape his father and the curse of the Dark Mark. He simply believed he couldn't afford ordinary human experiences like having friends and being in relationships.

However, apparently Luna had other plans as she suddenly leaned over and kissed him "I just wanted to try that" she said "Is it ok?"

He couldn't help but nodding and Luna kissed him again.


	3. Chapter 3

Theo entered the Slytherin common room and dropped himself onto one of the couches. Luna Lovegood had kissed him and he had kissed her back. What were her motives? Theo didn't want to believe she would do it because he attracted her, it would give him too much hope and Theo had already been disappointed too many times in his life.

Who was he kidding. Theo knew very well he wasn't attractive. He was too skinny, too pale and had neither Malfoy's confidence nor Zabini's charm.

He grabbed the firewhiskey from the table and started to drink. Alcohol was not allowed at Hogwarts but you could usually find all sort of drinks in the Slytherin dormitory these days.

"You'll pay for that bottle you bastard".

He turned and looked at Malfoy who collapsed on an armchair. "Trouble with the Lovegood girl?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

Malfoy snorted "It's not like we don't have eyes Theo. I'm not going to tell you anything about your...unconventional taste as I imagine you have your reasons as usual, but if Pansy finds out he won't be able to shut up about it".

"Leave the man alone Draco" Zabini sat in one of the other armchairs "he's finally getting some".

"With the money he has he could get anyone and he choses Loony Lovegood, Potter's pet" Malfoy rolled his eyes.

Knowing it wouldn't be wise to spit his drink on Draco's face, Theo stood up and walked towards the bedrooms taking the bottle with him.

He opened his trunk. He knew exactly what he was looking for. There was a small book, Zabini had given him last Christmas. He had never bothered opening it, but now he felt pretty curious. He finally grabbed _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witch and_ opened it at a random page.

 _When you spot your target,grab your wingman and approach her with a confident grin and make sure you use one of our favorite openers:_

 _1)Does my friend look like a dark wizard?_

 _2)Are you gals shy? I've been standing here talking to my friend for like 5 minutes now and you still haven't said 'hi"._

 _3)Hey girl, I need to get your opinion on something. It's very important, and we need a woman's perspective. It's a matter of life and death.. My friend and I were having a debate and your answer could completely change my entire life... Do you brush before floss or floss before brush? No one knows._

Theo started turning the pages quickly until his eyes fell on a certain picture and his cheeks started redening. It was a photo of naked witch and underneath a detailed explanation on how to do...various things to her. Theo had never really thought about sex before which would seem weird for a teenage boy. He suddenly felt unfomfortable inside his pants.

He closed the curtains and laid down on the bed, reading the instructions and staring at the photos. He hesitantly touched his cock but imagined a certain blond doing it.

After a few minutes he came, shuddering, now feeling so relieved. He wondered why he hadn't discovered this act of self-satisfaction before.

Luna was lying down on a bench, half-asleep. Most of her friends were at Hogsmeade where she wasn't alllowed to go anymore as a punishment for talking back to Alecto Carrow at the beginning of the year. Instead of the school uniform, she was wearing a blue long-sleeve dress. The voice she heard made her smile.

"There you are!"

She opened her eyes. Theo Nott was looking at her with an unreadable face. He was holding two butterbeer bottles. "I hope I didn't wake you up"

"Oh no, don't worry about it."

"I thought you would want one of these" he placed one of the butterbeet bottles next to her. "Ehmm, should I leave you alone now"

"If you could sit next to me, I would like that. I appreciate your company".

He blushed (damn, why did he have to be so pale) and sat next to her. She rested her head on his lap.

"Is it ok, if I do that. I just wanted to try it?"

"It's..fine". He really hoped he wouldn't get an erection now and humiliate himself.

"Am I right to think that we're dating?" she said.

"Umm…."

"I mean that's what people call it when people are intimate, right? I don't know, I have never dated".

" _You_ have never dated?" he was surprised. He knew some people mocked Luna for some odd things she did but she was still a very beautiful girl.

"Ehh, no I haven't. Harry asked me to go to Slughorn's party last year but we only went as friends. For a moment I thought he was actually asking me out".

"You're very pretty Luna, it's hard to believe people wouldn't ask you out".

"You're certainly very handsome yourself. I understand if you wouldn't want to date someone like me.."

"Believe me, it isn't you. I think you're wonderful".

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know what will happen to me after I graduate" he said." I might have to leave the country and never come back. I don't want to get you involved into my family drama".

"You could stay here and fight" she said. "If you disagree with them , you can stay and fight".

"How can we fight him Luna? He's a monster. He returned from the dead. How can we fight someone immortal".

"We can believe in Harry. He used to meet with Dumbledore a lot last year. He must have a plan".

He shook his head "Dumbledore is dead and Potter is only 17 years old. The Dark Lord controls the Ministry, we have no chance to win for now. We have to leave the country and hide , that would be the rational choice".

"I understand" she said " but my friends will stay here to fight, so I will stay too. If there's one small chance to defeat him, I will grab it, if there's anything I can do to defend my friends, I will do it".

He started stroking her hair. He hated appearing weak and a coward in front of her but it was true, he didn't believe her side stood a chance.

"You know no matter what happens, I'm glad I met you" she said "there aren't many people willing to talk to me like this and..you also kissed me back".

She put her hand on his cheek and stood up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.


	4. Chapter 4

In the dark of the empty classroom, Theo was kissing Luna. She had her hands wrapped around his neck while he rested his on her hips.

Feeling bold, he allowed his hands to drift upward slightly and seeing how she made no attempt to stop him, he continued moving upward until he was cupping her breasts.

Luna seemed to view it as an interesting experiment and she was confident despite being completely inexperienced. He couldn't say the same about himself since his worries that he was an inadequate virgin wouldn't leave his mind.

He hesitantly touched the buttons of her dress. She continued kissing him and she guided his hands helping him unbutton it. It dropped to the floor, revealing her body. She was wearing no bra, only panties, her breasts were small and she was rather skinny.

"Are we going too fast?" he asked.

"Do you want to go slower?" she replied "I don't mind waiting if you feel uncomfortable".

He laughed at the strangeness of the situation. _Isn't it supposed to be the other way around_ , he thought, _aren't the guys supposed to be the one pushing for it? Well, it's not like me and Luna were ever ordinary kids._

"You're shaking" she noted. "Are you ok?"

"It's just…" he sighed wondering if telling the truth would make him sound weak and ridiculous. Then again something about the girl always made him open up more than he was used to. Maybe it was because she seemed so brutally honest herself. "I have no idea what I'm doing" he confessed "I really want you to enjoy it but I know I'm going to fail you".

"You shouldn't have such a defeatist attitude you know" she said taking his hands in hers. "Calm down, if you feel we're going too far , we can always stop. There's no pressure and I don't really know what I'm doing myself". She kissed his mouth softly "follow your instincts".

He hugged her and started planting kisses on her neck while she started slowly unbuttoning his shirt. After finishing with the buttons she pulled it off and started feeling his chest with her hands. "You're very beautiful you know".

He couldn't help snorting.

"Really, you're tall, you have wonderful eyes and your hands are soft. I don't know why you're not comfortable with yourself". She touched his lower abdomen where he knew he had some scars and that was the moment when he flinched and pulled away from her. She looked at him with mild surprise.

"Luna" he said while putting his shirt back on "listen, you're a wonderful girl but you should be doing that with someone better than me." He couldn't keep looking at her so he turned his gaze and stared at the floor. "I just can't".

"Oh it's alright, there's no problem really" she said "we can try again when you're ready or not try again at all. You can also tell me anything if you want".

"This is a mistake" he said just wanting to get away from there "I'm so sorry" he turned around and left the room living her half naked.

She sighed and picked up her dress starting to put it back on "Theodore what demons are you hiding?" she said shaking her head.

* * *

Theo stepped into the shower breathing heavily. He let the hot water pour over him.

 _How can I be such an idiot_ , he thought, _how could I have thought I was good enough for any girl? Nothing awaits me except darkness and anguish and that's all I've ever known._

He touched his scars with disgust. How could he explain to anyone that his own father used some dark cutting spell on him for "discipline". If Luna learnt the details of his childhood , she would understand that she wasted her time with him. With a past like that, he himself sometimes wondered if he would eventually turn into a psychopath like his father.

 _She deserves so much better_ , he thought, _I'm sure she's thinking right now what a pathetic wimp I am running away from a beautiful naked girl. She will understand that she shouldn't be wasting her time with me._

For the first time in more than twelve years, Theodore Nott felt himself crying.


	5. Chapter 5

Nott was one of the few students who had chosen to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas that year. Most wanted to get away from the Carrows as fast as possible, but Theo didn't want to face his father.

"Theodore Nott?" He jumped recognizing her voice. They hadn't spoken since that embarassing meeting when Theo basically ran away from her like a scaredy-cat. He tried his best to keep an apathetic look when he turned to face her.

"Lu-Miss Lovegood, how are you this morning?"

"I didn't realize we weren't on first name basis anymore," said Luna looking a bit surprised something rare for her, "except if there is some custom I don't know of where you have to become more formal with someone after being intimate with them."

Theo couldn't help but smile knowing Luna but actually serious and not sarcastic. "No, I just thought you wouldn't want much to do with me after... what happened," he cleared his throat.

"That's weird, I thought you were the one avoiding me."

"How can I help you, Luna?"

"I came to say goodbye," she looked at him him the eyes and he felt uncomfortable under her gaze, "I'm going to see daddy for the holidays. Are you going somehwre too?"

"No, I'm staying here," he averted his gaze and started staring at a spot on the floor, "goodbye Luna, have a nice time with your father.I'm sure the further you are from this place, the better."

"Why don't you come stay with us? I think daddy would find you interesting."

He smiled a bit, "no, I have things to do here" _I'm sure you'd be better off if people didn't know we're close_ , he thought to himself. "Goodbye Luna and Merry Christmas."

She smiled, something rare for her and Theo thought once again that she really was beautiful. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Theo hesitated for a moment and then hugged her.

"Be careful ok?" He said closing his eyes and resting his chin on her shoulder, "things can be crazy out there."

"I will write to you," Luna ended the hug and smiled.

Theo sighed, "just stay safe. I don't think I can do much to help you, so don't do anything reckless Luna," he cupped her cheek and looked at her for a few seconds, then let go and turned his back. "Write to me if anything happens, but don't reveal any sensitive information. Please try to stay out of trouble."

"Goodbye Theodore," she stared at his back now looking a little sad.

Theo was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. Everyone from his dorm was gone for the holidays. He spent the majority of his time studying, just because the Carrows wanted to ruin his education, it didn't mean he would let it happen. He had wrote a letter to Luna but she never replied. He was trying hard not to assume the worst had happened.

The only students that had remained in school were Longbottom, a few younger Gryffindors,Cho Chang from Ravenclaw who was apparently repeating her 7th year after not getting enough NEWTs (but Theo suspected she just wanted to stay and help the younger students since he had noticed she had taken many under her wing), a couple of younger Ravenclaws and Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff. Theo of course wasn't close to any of these people and normally he would be glad to be left alone but he had to admit that he missed Luna.

He sighed and grabbed a piece of parchment. There was no way he would write to his father but if something happened to Luna, there was one person who was likely to know. He started writing:

 _Draco,_

 _I hope you and your family are doing well. Send them my regards._

 _Things here are more or less as you know them. I will make sure to send you a bottle of firewhiskey to make up for the one I stole from you the last time. Do you remember the conversation we had back then? If you have anything new to add about it then answer this letter as soon as possible._

 _Merry Chistmas,_

 _Theodore Nott._

He wondered if that moron would understand what Theo was talking about, but he didn't want to mention Luna's name on a letter, especially since he knew the monster was staying with the Malfoys. He stood up and started walking towards the owlery.

He was near the Great Hall when he heard Longbottom's voice: "Nott wait a second."

Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbot approached him. Theo felt uncomfortable being alone with two people who probably considered him an enemy but made sure not to show any emotion on his face.

"Do you know anythign about Luna?"

Theo gasped, "what happened to her?"

"I would like to ask you that," Abbot was looking at him coldly, "there are rumors that she is in Azkaban, are you sure you don't know anything about it Nott?"

"Azkaban?" Theo's eyes widened and he felt his heart sinking, "Why?"

"We should be asking you that. Are you sure you don't know anythign about it Nott?"

"Who told you that she is in Azkaban?" Theo insisted.

"That's none of your business and don't pretend you don't know anything. You were close to her didn't you? Why did you approach Luna?" Longbottom was eyeing him suspiciously.

"That's none of your business," Theo said repeating their own words, "now excuse me," he turned to leave his hand grabbing his wand hoping Longbottom wouldn't do anything stupid.

"If anything happens to her..." Longbottom started saying.

"Leave him Neville, one day he will end up behind bars where he belongs." Abbot's confidence faltered when Theo gave her a particularly cold look.

"Come on," said Neville taking her hand while glaring at Theo.

After they left, Theo's defences abandoned him and he started shaking, Luna in Azkaban? Was it true? What had happened? He started running towards the owlery determined to get some answers. If Malfoy didn't say anything he would floo to that moron's house and insist to learn what was going on.

Draco Malfoy was sure things couldn't get much worse in his life. The Dark Lord had decided to hate his family was Draco was blaming himself for his last year failure to finish off Albus Dumbledore. The Dark Lord would grab any chance to torture and humiliate Draco. He must have noticed the boy's discomfort at the sight of people getting tortured and killed because he insisted on specifically having him do it. He hadn't killed anyone (not that he would be able to cast a successful Avada Kedavra) but he was sometimes haunted by the wandmaker's screams. He tried to use his occlumency shields to block his own guilt but he was unsuccesful and it must have shown on his face, because his aunt often mocked him about it and say he was acting like a baby. As if things weren't bad enough already, they know had a new prisoner in their house, one of Potter's friends and Draco had to personally "interrogate" her.

He had just received a letter from Theodore Nott and was about to open it when he suddenly heard a voice form the fireplace: "Malfoy?"

"Nott? Are you an idiot? I told you not to use the floo here."

"Are you alone?"

Draco opened the door to check if there was anyone near his room.

"What do you want?"

"Do you know what happened to Luna Lovegood?"

Draco sighed. He had forgotten that his classmate dated the Lovegood girl. "Don't worry about it."

"So you do know something. Where is she? Why was she arrested? Is she hurt?"

"You're an idiot Nott, I never thought you would be the one to react emotionally. You shouldn't have flooed here. It's too dangerous."

"Will you answer or will I have to come there myself?"

He looked at Nott's face in the fireplace and thought he had never seen him looking so worried before. Nott was usually one to never show feelings.

"Where is she Malfoy?"

"Just shut up ok? She's fine, mother will take care of her. Don't you dare, oh no..." Theo's whole body got out of the fireplace and Draco was grabbed by the collar.

"Are you crazy?"

"Is she here?"

"Calm down you moron." He pushed Theo back and shot a calming spell towards him which sadly didn't seem to have much of an effect. "Will you calm down? Come on lets sit down and talk."

Theo was paler than usual and he was breathing rather heavily. He dropped onto a chair. Draco locked the door and sat down too. He tried to look angry but he was only feeling tired.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"Is she ok?"

Draco sighed. "She's here ok. Don't freak out on me now. She's alive and well," _at least as well as you can after after getting tortured_ , thought Draco to himself.

"Why is she here?"

"Because her father did something, I don't know ok? She's fine and mother will take care of her, you can't do anything so don't worry about her."

Theo stared at him codly, "did you torture her?"

"W-what? N-no."

"Don't lie to me Malfoy!"

"You can't come into my house and talk to me like that!"

"I want to see her."

"Impossible, my aunt is here. Listen trust me, Lovegood will be fine, she's a pureblood after all. They tortured her a bit to find out if she knows anything about Potter but now they will leave her alone and Mother told me..."

"They tortured her?"

"Don't yell you moron! Calm down. If they find out why you're here your Loo-Lovegood will be in way more trouble."

Theo started breathing heavily. Malfoy was now looking at him with pity.

"I didn't know you cared so much about her. You were never like this Nott."

Theo shook his head. He really didn't know why he acted so recklessly, it was not in character for him and it's not like he knew Luna for too long anyway. She was still the only person who ever seemed interested in him and Theo felt a strange connection with her.

Malfoy was now pouring two glasses of firewhiskey. He handed one of them to Nott.

"Where did you even get the floo?"

Nott shrugged. "I tricked Alecto into letting me use her fireplace."

"You tricked...Theo you have really gone nuts!"

"I told her I needed it to talk to my father."

"You realize she can find out the truth and then you'll be screwed?"

"The Carrows are as stupid as Hagrid's flobberworms, I doubt they'll suspect anything."

"I'm not talking about the Carrows, I'm talking about your father."

Theo just shrugged again. "I'll find an excuse," he decided, "where do you keep Luna?"

"I'm not telling you because you'll do something stupid, oh don't look at me like that Theo! I will do my best to protect your little girlfriend just to get rid of you, but if you interfere, you'll only make things worse."

Theo studied Draco's face wondering if he could trust him or not. _It's too late_ , he reminded himself, _now you have showed him your true colors_ , _you have no other choice but to trust him._ He sighed feeling defeated.

"Draco, make sure she's fed properly and that she's safe and I'll owe you."

"I'll do what I can," said Draco who had already finished his drink and was now pouring another glass, "but you already owe me for coming here uninvited. Now go back before your little crush gets us into more trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

Months had passed and Theo was sinking into depression. He was always alone and he had learnt to accept it and even enjoy it. He however, couldn't deny that he missed Luna and was very worried about her. Draco had ensured him that his mother was taking care of her and that his aunt wouldn't torture a pureblood for no reason, but he felt horrible at the thought of her being stuck in there, imprisoned. He was also immensely worried about the future and what would become of him after graduation.

He couldn't help but notice that the other Slytherins seemed stressed too. An outsider wouldn't see it because Slytherins were good at hiding their emotions, but Theo knew them well enough to recognize the differences: Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis weren't the cheerful girls that Theo remembered from the previous years, Bulstrode for some reason had stopped talking to everyone and only spent her time locked in the girls' room with her cat, Zabini and Malfoy were pretty much alcoholics now and even Parkinson wasn't her usual self. The only ones who seemed happy with the situation were Crabbe and Goyle and Theo was disgusted to see them taking pleasure in torturing small children.

Easter came. Usually not many students visited their families on Easter but this year there weren't many reasons to stay at school. The only other Slytherins who stayed behind were Tracey Davis who seemed to want to avoid Theo at all costs and a first year girl who shrieked when she accidentally came 2 metres near him and ran away. Theo rolled his eyes at their silly behavior. _It's like they think they'll get the Death Eater curse if they come anywhere near me._

Malfoy returned to school earlier than planned. He was white like a ghost and avoided looking at anyone in the eyes. Theo tried to ask what the hell had happened but Malfoy ignored him and slammed the door behind him.

Later, Theo found him lying down on a couch with a bottle in hand, staring at the ceiling.

"You look pathetic."

Malfoy glared at him. Theo just approached him and took the half-empty bottle from a Malfoy who was unwilling to get separated from it but didn't seem to have enough power to fight. Theo sat down next to him pouring a glass for himself.

"You drink too much."

Malfoy just snorted still staring at the ceiling.

"What happened Malfoy?"

"What happened…." Malfoy closed his eyes breathing heavily. "POTTER HAPPENED, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. FUCKING POTTER WILL BE THE END OF ME." Theo jumped when his dormmate suddenly started yelling and started wondering whether he finally lost his mind.

"What does Potter…."

"He was in my house, ok? Fucking Potter came to ruin everything for my family once again."

"Potter was in your house? How?"

"He got caught and was saved by our old house-elf of all things." Malfoy snorted, "he even stole my wand."

Theo decided to not ask many questions because Malfoy looked like he was about to snap and start firing curses at something.

"Luna?"

"He took her with him, but of course that's all you care about, isn't it?" Malfoy sneered at him.

Theo didn't know what to think about it. On the one hand, he was glad Luna was freed, on the other hand she was in even more danger now that they knew she was with Potter. He turned to look at Malfoy. Theo always disliked the blond boy for being loud, snobby and obnoxious but there was one thing he could relate to and that was being born without much of a choice. Malfoy was meant to be evil because he was born in a dark family and got sorted to Slytherin, people would view him with suspicion no matter what he did. Things were probably even worse for Malfoy than they were for Theo. The latter didn't care about his father and would be glad to leave him behind. Malfoy loved his parents very much and would never betray them.

Theo closed his eyes. "Your parents?"

Malfoy almost started sobbing. He looked pained. "He…won't kill them, at least that's what Father told me. They forced me to leave, to not stay and see…" He suddenly broke down and started crying. "He was…furious. He made Bellatrix torture them and then he tortured her too. Father told me to just floo back to school to not get caught in all of this. It was a risk, he'll..probably get even more angry if he finds out I got away. I should have stayed but…" His words died and he started sobbing violently. Theo was shocked to see him that way, he had heard him crying in his sleep but the blond usually never expressed emotions so openly.

Theo closed his eyes. That's what bonds do to you. That's why Theo always chose to stay away from other people. Malfoy had a powerful bond with his parents and look how now it's used against him. The blond had stopped sobbing and was now shaking violently.

Theo sighed. In Slytherin there is no "comforting". Slytherins focus on solutions, not on feelings.

"Well, when you're done crying about it, you can come find me." He stood up taking the bottle with him. He was not going to let Malfoy drink more at this state.

His words may appear harsh and cruel to an outsider but a Slytherin would see them as motivation. Because that's what Slytherin means: 'stop crying and work to achieve your goals, one step at a time'.

Malfoy indeed seemed to calm down a bit now as the rational part of his brain had started working again. "Potter needs to pay for this," he said, "Potter needs to pay for everything he has done to my family."

Theo sighed, "I thought the days were you blamed Potter for all of your problems were over, Draco. I guess I was wrong. I know you're a rational person, I wonder if one day you'll wake up and find who's really responsible for your life's misfortunes." And with these words he left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

_"But, he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!"_

Nott groaned as he watched the whole school turning against the Slytherins. It wasn't long until Mcgonagall told the house of the snake to leave the castle. Not that it was unexpected and frankly Theo thought she was doing them a favor. Many Slytherins had family and friends on the other side and of course many were not willing to die for people who hated them anyway.

However, Theo had other things in mind. If Potter was there, it was likely that Luna was too. He scanned the place trying to find signs of the blond girl.

"What are you doing?" Some Gryffindor boy said eyeing him suspiciously, "didn't you hear Mcgonagall? All snakes, get out of the castle! If it were me , I would have you all locked in the dungeons because we all know you want to leave to join You-know-who."

"Yes, yes." said Theo ignoring his words, "I'm looking for a friend, so if you'll excuse me."

"I don't think so. Professor! This snake isn't leaving," shouted the silly boy.

"Mr. Creevey, what are you still doing here? Underage students should evacuate the place." Creevey blushed and then Mcgonagall's eyes fell on Nott. "Mr Nott, do you not want to leave with your dormmates?"

Theo wondered whether the best strategy would be to tell her the truth or not and decided he didn't have enough time to make up an excuse. "I'm looking for Luna Lovegood," he said, "is she here?"

"Is Miss lovegood a friend of yours?"

"Yes," he said quickly, "I will not cause any problems. I am not a Death Eater or an enemy to your cause," he showed her his unmarked arm.

Mcgonagall eyed him skeptically, "very well Mr Nott, go and look for your friend. Don't waste anymore of our time."

Theo sighed with relief, he honestly expected she would tell him to leave or even stun him and keep him as a hostage. He kept searching the place with his eyes.

"If you're looking for Lovegood, she's over there with the Ravenclaws," he turned and looked at Hannah Abbot with surprise. She bit her lips, "I'm sorry I was so rude back then. I have been watching you these past months and you seemed so depressed. You missed her, didn't you?"

He nodded and started walking towards the direction she pointed at when he saw the blond girl who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Theo," she ran towards him and hugged him, "are you alright?"

"Are you?"

"I'm fine now."

"Lets go somewhere else," he realized a lot of people were staring at them curiously. He led Luna outside of the Great Hall and they hid at an empty room.

"Luna, where have you been? I was told you left with Potter, I hope you didn't get into trouble."

"Oh, I was hiding. Unfortunately, daddy is in prison. He always wanted to study the dementors, but not like this," she laughed nervously, "we'll get him out once we win this war."

He nodded, not really wanting to tell her that he highly doubted they would win. They were after all against an immortal monster who came back from the dead.

"Draco told me you were worried about me," said the girl smiling now.

"Well, Draco said the truth. I'm sorry I left you there Luna, I would get you out if I could."

"It's quite alright," Luna shook her head, "you were worried about me, does that mean we're friends?"

"Yes, if that's what you want us to be," this was really not the time to sort out their relationship. "Listen Luna, I know you want to fight for your friends..."

"You will fight too, don't you? You don't want him to win, You-know-who."

"I don't know if that would be wise Luna, we don't know what we're up against. I don't want to die and I definitely don't want anythign to happen to you."

"I think it's wise to stand up for your beliefs," she looked at him in the eyes, "you don't want to be one of them do you? So why don't you fight against it?"

He sighed. _Well_ , he thought, _if I'm going to die here_ , _at least I'll be with a friend._

 _Perhaps the only friend I have ever had._

He looked at her. "If you fight, I'll fight too," She smiled and hugged him again. Theo really wasn't used to this kind of contact but he loved it.

She looked at him and it seemed like she was about to kiss him when they heard a loud explosion.

"Does it mean they're already in?"

"It means that they're getting close," said Theo. "Come on, moonchild, we have a war to win."

"Moonchild?" Luna smiled, "I love that name."

* * *

Theo was casting Protego after Protego to block the various curses. Someone had thrown Peruvian Darkness Powder and he couldn't see what was happening in front of him. He walked to another room ducking at the last moment to avoid a stunner. He blindly sent a stunner of his own behind his back and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. He had been separated from Luna in the middle of the battle and had no idea where the girl was. He turned to look at the Death Eater who was following him and wondered why that guy only used stunners instead of killing curses. Then he noticed the hand of the masked man was dark-skinned and a horrible suspicion came to Theo's mind.

"Zabini?"

The Death Eater took off his mask. It was indeed Blaise Zabini looking at him with a tired look.

"So you noticed? You're in deep trouble you know. Your father was furious you ddn't come to join the battle on our side."

"Who else joined?" He always knew Zabini was the type to join the winning side regardless of personal ideologies, but he still couldn't believe another one of the people he was sleeping in the same room with became a Death Eater.

"Just me from our year," Zabini was shaking his head. "The girls apparated away as soon as they got out and I don't know where Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle are." He looked at Theo with something like contempt. "You're an idiot you know."

"Stupefy!"

Zabini blocked it and sent a silent spell that Theo blocked just as easily.

"How come you're using such light spells Zabini? Did my beloved father say he wanted to finish me off himself?"

"I'm trying to save you moron." He raised a shield to block Nott's stunners. "I will stun you now, when everything is over we'll say you were under the Imperius. That's the only way you'll survive."

"Yea right, like these people would ever use the Imperius. Stupefy! STUPEFY!"

Zabini's shield wasn't strong enough but he managed to dodge with his body. He raised his wand and looked at Theo panting.

"Not only us use the Unforgivables. Some guy from your side sent killing curses towards me, I don't know who it was," said Zabini trying to raise a shield again while also dodging Nott's spells, "and I heard that saint Potter himself used the cruciatus on Amycus."

"Well, I guess Amycus got a taste of his own medicine. STUPEFY!" Zabini's shield broke and he fell to the floor stunned. Theo leaned against the wall panting and looked at the stunned body of the boy he had known for more than 13 years (Zabini's mother had tried to marry his father in the past. He always wondered which one of them would survive if the marriage actually happened since both were known for killing their spouses.)

Theo picked up Zabini's body and hid him inside a cupboard, hoping he was doing the right thing and that Zabini wouldn't end up getting killed by some kind of explosion. He heard someone screaming and he rushed towards that direction. The Weasley girl was dueling a tall Death Eater except that the "dueling" looked more like she was desperately trying to dodge his killing curses. The Death Eater didn't expect the stunning curse that hit him from behind.

"You!" Shouted the Weasley girl, "I can take care of myself!"

"Fine!" Groaned Theo impatiently at her ungratefulness. "Have you seen Luna?"

Ginny Weasley bit her lips, "lets go find her together," she said, "You're her friend, right? Well, I am her friend too."

Theo started walking quickly and Ginny basically had to run to catch up him, "hey, don't walk so quickly," she groaned and he just snorted. "Listen Nott, thanks for before…Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

Theo turned his head and looked at Malfoy and Goyle who were just sitting on the ground trying to take care of Goyle's injuries.

"Go ahead and hide somewhere, I need to talk to them," he said to the Weasley girl who frowned at the implication that she needed to hide but didn't say anything and simply left.

"Malfoy what happened to him, where's Crabbe?"

Malfoy paled even more when he heard Crabbe's name. "Do you have a wand that works? Can you heal him?"

Theo rose his wand and noticed that Goyle had burn marks everywhere. He was never good with healing spells but started doing the best he could. "What happened to him and what are you doing here?"

"We're so fucked!" Shouted Malfoy, "We're basically done for. We failed to capture Potter and I lost my mother's wand. He's going to kill me if he finds me here." Malfoy started shaking, "C-Crabbe is dead. These marks were caused by fiendfyre."

Theo groaned, "give me a reason not to stun you both right now."

"If you stun us here, we'll get killed. I don't even have a wand anymore so I won't get in your way. We'll just find a place to hide," said Malfoy eyeing him suspiciously, "whose side are you on anyway? Why were you with Weasley?"

"That's none of your concern," said Theo impatiently. Malfoy was such a moron, "take Goyle and get out of here. Don't let me see you again tonight, oh and I'll be taking this wand." He grabbed Goyle's wand and Malfoy said nothing and simply looked defeated and tired. Theo shuddered when he heard Voldemort's cold voice announcing that they only had one hour to take care of the dead and give away Harry Potter.

He walked towards the Great Hall when suddenly someone attacked him from behind. He pushed them away and raised his wand when he realized that it was only Luna who had actually tried to hug him. Luna chuckled nervously.

"It's only me, you can ask me questions to confirm if you like. Something like 'what was the answer to the riddle when we entered together the Ravenclaw common room'?"

He smiled at the memory, "Unicorn," he said.

"I'm so glad you're safe Theodore."

"Me too," he hugged the girl awkwardly and added, "how many died?"

The girl whimpered. "I saw Fred Weasley dead and also Remus Lupin our old teacher and his wife. There are some dead Death Eaters as well but I don't recognize them."

Theo nodded and closed his eyes.

"Come on, lets see who many are injured."

* * *

Theo couldn't believe it was over. Potter really did it. He killed the Dark Lord.

Everyone had gathered in the Great Hall celebrating but Theo kept his distance and approached his usual spot next to the lake.

"I knew I would find you here."

He turned and looked at Luna Lovegood. Her clothes and hair were dirty after the battle but she still looked beautiful.

"You came to hang out with the only decent Slytherin?" He said teasing her.

She shrugged and sat next to him resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

"You're not the only decent Slytherin. Professor Slughorn fought on our side and Harry said Snape was following Dumbledore's orders all along."

"Snape did what?" He was genuinely surprised at the news. He could see Slughorn fighting for the good guys. But Snape?

"Yea, that's what Harry said. I'm sure he'll tell us the details later. Why didn't you join the others at the Great Hall. Do you not like large crowds?"

"Something like that," he kissed her head. "What happened to Death Eaters?"

"They were arrested, at least most of them I think. You saw Bellatrix dying and I'm pretty sure Dolohov was killed too."

"I don't know how Potter pulled a miracle and survived the killing curse again but he saved us all." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Now come, I think Blaise Zabini is still stunned in a cupboard."

* * *

 _Theodore and Luna were in a romantic relationship for many years until they finally decided to break it off. They loved each other but had different goals in life. Luna eventually fell in love with Rolf Scamander an older Hufflepuff and they both became famous naturalists and spent the rest of their lives traveling the world and researching magical creatures. Luna and Theo remained friends despite their break up._

 _Theodore's father died in Azkaban but Theo didn't attend his funeral._

 _Theodore never got married but became Head of the Department of Mysteries and had a successful career. He accepted to become the godfather of Draco's son, Scorpius._

 _Draco Malfoy wasn't sent to Azkaban mainly because he was underage when he got the mark and because Harry Potter vouched for him (something that greatly surprised Draco.) He eventually married Astoria Greengrass and they continued her family's potions business._

 _Blaise Zabini paid a huge amount of money to not get sent to prison. After avoiding conviction, he left and went to Italy, his dead father's homeland. Theo was pleased that he never heard rumors of his old roommate getting in trouble again._

 _All was well._


End file.
